from Pulp Fiction (1994)
As suggested by: liberalcynic, indygene, Polymorph, julianps and others
John Travolta had already cemented his dancing credentials, having starred in both Grease and Saturday Night Fever prior to appearing in Quentin Tarantino's crime thriller, Pulp Fiction. However, it was his performance as hitman Vince Vega that is often credited with reviving Travolta's career, and his expressionless twisting opposite Uma Thurman to Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell is one of the film's most memorable scenes. Set against the backdrop of 50s-themed restaurant Jack Rabbit Slim's, it remains one of the most oft-parodied dance numbers in film Photograph: Everett/Rex Features
from Dirty Dancing (1987)
As suggested by: WritersFrock, herebutforfortune, Katewashere
Dirty Dancing's coming-of-age tale culminates in this much-copied dance performance from Jennifer Grey as a 17-year-old holidaymaker and Patrick Swayze as the resort's heartthrob dance instructor, Johnny Castle. Although the track was chosen specifically by choreographer Kenny Ortega, the final version had not yet been recorded, and so the pair actually danced to a demo version of the song during filming
Photograph: Everett Collection/Rex Features Photograph: Everett Collection / Rex Features
from West Side Story (1961)
As suggested by: Normanhunterlives, crosseyedandpainless, StillSinging, mrsep and others
America was one of few dance numbers that legendary director and choreographer Jerome Robbins was able to put together for the film adaptation of West Side Story before being fired from the project. On stage, the dance sequence accompanies a duet between the pro-America Anita and fellow Puerto Rican Rosalia, who takes a more critical view of life in the US. However, in the film version Anita (Rita Moreno) leads a female group of dancers in a high-kicking riposte against Bernardo (George Chakiris) and a male chorus line, in their musical account of poverty and racism in New York Photograph: Everett Collection/Rex Features
from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
As suggested by: ID063706, Casswood, Erda24
Renowned for its ambitious dance sequences, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' barn-raising scene, in which the Pontipee brothers compete for the attentions of six eligible women, is particularly notable for its acrobatic stunts. In order to achieve the demanding dance moves in scenes such as this, choreographer Michael Kidd cast four professional dancers (as well as a gymnast and a former baseball player, as requested by MGM Studios). This particular scene, including some nifty footwork from Tommy Rall atop a spinning log, reportedly took three weeks to rehearse Photograph: Everett Collection/Rex Features
from Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
As suggested by: Sabiha London, BobbyNewmark, poohead, ID8665572 and others
Jon Heder's unchoreographed dance solo provides a musical climax to kooky indie comedy film Napoleon Dynamite. In a last-ditch attempt at saving best friend Pedro's campaign to become class president, Napoleon performs a thrust-filled routine that sparks a standing ovation, with Heder crediting John Travolta and Michael Jackson as having inspired some of his memorable moves Photograph: PR
from The Full Monty (1997)
As suggested by: Casswood, Foulneypebble, IgnatiusDuFec
Despite not being especially noteworthy in terms of technical expertise, this absent-minded routine performed by The Full Monty's unemployed steel workers while waiting to sign on at the job centre has stuck in the minds of many – perhaps even more so than the film's final number. While rumour has it that the dole-queue dancing nearly didn't make the director's final cut, it is often considered one of the film's standout scenes and was even recreated by Prince Charles on a trip to Sheffield the following year Photograph: Everett/Rex Features
from Cabaret (1972)
As suggested by: gerontophile, maxfisher, CABlane, zink
Liza Minnelli embodies the enigmatic character of Sally Bowles as she performs this chair-straddling jazz sequence alongside her puppet-like backing dancers at Cabaret's famous Kit Kat Club. Mein Herr is another quintessential Bob Fosse number: all bowler hats, turned-in knees and jazz hands. The scene did not feature within the original Broadway musical, from which the film was loosely adapted, but proved so popular with audiences that has since been added to stage productions Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar
from Young Frankenstein (1974)
As suggested by: paulrudolph, RandRace, kouvola
Early dance interpretations of this song included Fred Astaire's characteristically smooth rendition in the 1946 film Blue Skies, and the only song-and-dance number ever performed by Clark Gable, in the 1939 film Idiot's Delight. However, it is within Mel Brooks's horror spoof, Young Frankenstein, that this number was given a comedic twist: Dr Frederick Frankenstein, played by Gene Wilder, duets with a monstrous Peter Boyle who, despite merely groaning along with the lyrics, is humorously able to perform the dance steps to near-perfection Photograph: PR
from Singin' in the Rain (1952)
As suggested by: ID063706, estragon11, Brooke Sherbrooke, WritersFrock and others
Gene Kelly co-directed, starred in and choreographed many of his most famous films, including Singin' in the Rain. Now an iconic dance number, the sequence to the title song from this classic musical movie has also attracted many myths: some said that the rain had been mixed with milk in order to appear more clearly on camera, when in fact this was down to the lighting techniques used during production. It is true, however, that the seemingly lovesick Kelly was actually ill with a fever before becoming soaked to the skin during this particular routine Photograph: Sportsphoto Ltd/Allstar
from The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
As suggested by: julianps, elmondo2012, SingDave, reasonforlife
The Time Warp takes place around bewildered newlyweds Brad Majors (Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (Susan Sarandon) as they encounter the bizarre group of people holding an Annual Transylvanian Convention. Few on-screen dance numbers have encouraged audience participation in quite the same way: with its instructional chorus lyrics and easily copied dance moves, the Time Warp helped The Rocky Horror Picture Show achieve cult status as a 'midnight movie' favourite, with fans dressing up in character costumes to recreate “the pelvic thrust that really drives you insa-a-ane” Photograph: Moviestore Collection/Rex Features
